Butane Extraction Method?

[SprtNVolcoM00]

So I've been reading a few posts in this foram about butane extarction method people are using to extract pure THC from there buds. To be honest, this is a first for me. I've only used cold extractions methods using 190pf alcohol for use as a tincture. I'd like to know more about the butane method; in depth and in detail if anyone would mind taking the time to share.

What exatctly is needed?
Amount of weed?
Brand name Butane?
Lenth of proceddure?
Amount of Butane per bud?
Tube/apperatice (extraction device - I'm cluess)?
Detailed step by step instructions of how to proform the proceedure?
Anything else I make have missed or over looked?

As I said, I am extremely interested in this butane method and would love to give it a go. I just dont know anything about it and cant seem to grasp the general idea behind it. I would appreciat any advice regarding my concerns.

Thank you in advance,
Sprt

SprtNVolcoM00 Reviewed by SprtNVolcoM00 on 02-05-2006. Butane Extraction Method? So I've been reading a few posts in this foram about butane extarction method people are using to extract pure THC from there buds. To be honest, this is a first for me. I've only used cold extractions methods using 190pf alcohol for use as a tincture. I'd like to know more about the butane method; in depth and in detail if anyone would mind taking the time to share. What exatctly is needed? Amount of weed? Brand name Butane? Lenth of proceddure? Amount of Butane per bud? Rating: 5

[trippruss]

this is a wicked way to extraction. bubblebags are much better w/o the carcinogens. i have found the butane extraction to be way too wasteful. the honeyoil is VERY hard to work with & sticks to everything, not to mention it is highly explosive while awaiting for it too evaporate. if you really want to try it get the most expensive butane you can find, (usually the purest), need a pipe w/capends, drill the ends for the nozzle of the butane on one end use a coffee filter to keep the buds in. when you disperse the butane keep the bottle tight against the pipe to keep the pressure coming out the coffee filter end. when it stops leaking out grab another can of butane, keep this up till butane comes out clear, wear thick gloves to keep hands from freezing. then sell it so that you dont smoke all the chemicals that are in the butane

[trippruss]

p.s. do a search on butane extraction you'll get hits & a video somewhere that'll show you step-by-step

[rodekyll]

Hmmmm.
What exactly do you need?

Here's my recipe for a "prepetual motion goodness extractor" that you can make from stuff laying around the house (my house, anyway . .). It's cheap to make, relatively safe to operate, and EXTREMELY EFFICIENT! This unit uses 4-8oz of butane, and has a max donor capacity of 100g.

PARTS:

10" metal 2" pipe threaded both ends (1)
Pipe caps (2)
3/8 Hose barbs threaded 1/8NPT (3)
3/8 Hose barbs threaded 1/4NPT
3/8 copper tubing (25 - 30')
3/8 re-enforced clear hose (10')
3/8 copper elbow (1)
hose clamps (10)
Pint wide mouth Ball Mason jar with cap and ring (1)
plastic bucket (you know the kind) (1)
Good teflon tape (big roll)
wire ties
pipe blanket (insulation) (10')

Put it all together:

CONDENSOR:

Wrap about 16' of the copper tubing around a gallon milk jug so that the tubing follows the shape of the jug and is as close to the jug as you can get it and still pull the jug through the coil. You'll get about 7 wraps around the jug. Leave about 6" of straightened tubing at one end for the low point, but leave the other end (top end) long.

Size the coil to the height of the bucket. Make sure the coils provide a constant downward spiral (no high points in the loops). When you are sure the coil will flow a liquid, it is ready to insert into the bucket.

I set my coil in a frame to ensure the spacing and down-angle. I made the frame by marking braze rod every half inch, and starting at the 2-inch mark, I soldered each corner of each loop at half-inch intervals. This ensured a pitch of 0.5" per side, or 2" per loop -- plenty to flow a liquid.

Cut a hole in the side of the bucket about an inch from the bottom of the INSIDE of the bucket. Don't measure the inch from the outside. It will be wrong. Make the hole just big enough to pass the bottom end of the tubing through. I start with a tiny hole and open it with the rat tail of a file for a perfect fit.

Carefully install the coil in the bucket, bending the bottom bit as needed to pass it through the hole.

Drill small holes in the appropriate places around the rim of the bucket and use wire ties to secure the coil in place. At this point you should have a bucket with a short spout sticking out the bottom. The top wrap of coil should exit the top, and the extra several feet of tubing should be parallel to the bucket.

Solder a 6" bit of tubing to the 3/8 elbow and solder the 3/8 elbow to the lower end of the coil.

Use Marine Goop (or other good adhesive/sealer) to seal up the hole you made in the bucket. Set it all aside to dry. Move on to "evaporator."

[rodekyll]

EVAPORATOR

Cut a couple of holes in the mason jar lid as close to the size of the 1/4" pipe/hose barbs as you can get them. Ideally, you should be able to thread the barbs into the lid and snug them up. Then puth the lid on the jar upside down and screw the ring on snug, but not too tight.

Solder the joint of the lid and barbs from the bottom.

Set it aside and move on to "extraction chamber."

[rodekyll]

EXTRACTION CHAMBER

Drill two holes that can be tapped for 1/8NPT in one pipe cap. Make one hole centered, and the other off to the side. Drill one hole in the center of the other cap. Thread all three holes.

Liberally apply teflon tape to the threaded ends of the pipe barbs, without obstructing the passages. Thead them in nice and tight. Hmmm -- did I forget one barb in my parts count? Well, make sure you have enough . . .

. . .cuz I did forget the extraction chamber filter: That's two of those big shredded-wheat-size puffs of medium grit steel wool. Take the steel woll, and push them side by side up one end of the 10" pipe. Don't worry about being gentle, just that they are side-by side and get crammed in there. Then put the pipe end-down on a hard surface and pound the steel wool from the top as much as you'd like to. I used a hammer handle as a plunger . . .

Wrap teflon tape liberally around the filtered end of the pipe and cap it with the single-barbed cap. This is the bottom.

When the time comes, you will fill the pipe with up to 100g of chopped/ground stuff -- pot trimmings, bud, poppies, whatever. For now we'll leave it empty.

Screw the top cap on. Make both caps as tight as you can with pipe wrenches, but still removable.

Move on to "assembly."

[rodekyll]

ASSEMBLY

Lie all the stuff on its side on the floor.

Using the extraction chamber as an index, figure out how long everything needs to be to fit in the shortest space, with the condensor at the top, and the evaporator at the bottom. Lay it out with the top of the extraction chamber about 6" the low side coil outlet, and one barb of the expnasion chamber lid about 6" below that. Bring the high-side coil tube down to the other expansion chamber barb and cut it about 6" above the barb.

Cut the re-enforced hose to the proper lenghts to connect the pieces, add hose clamps, and connect it all up. You can heat the hose and/or use PAM cooking spray on the MALE ends of things to help get the hoses on.

TIGHTEN TIGHTEN TIGHTEN

Move on to "injection and testing"

[rodekyll]

INJECTION AND TESTING

When everything was assembed, there was an extra barb left open at the top of the extraction chamber. This is where you will inject butane. You need to figure out some way of getting the butane in. This means a means of depressing the valve of the butane can while it is inserted into the barb. I used a piece of rubber hose, inset into the barb such that the valve of the butane can was pressed as the can was touching the rim of the barb. This sealed the backflow of butane as it entered the system. Since valves differ on different butane products, you'll have to wing this part.

The other part of the injection issue is plugging the hole you just filled from. A piece of the re-enforced hose with an empty (fired) .38 cartridge makes a good plug -- remember the hose clamps!

Once you think you have an innjector valve built, hang the entire business up at a comfortable height. It will hang from the bail on the bucket just fine.

Testing and operation with butane is best done on a cold day. Cold means below freezing. Butane boils at about 30f (-0.5c). We don't want it to boil anywhere but in the expansion chamber.

To keep things below boiling, and to condense vapors, we need to cool the butane. This is what the coil is used for. To cool the coil, take a gallon jug of ice that has been frozen in the deep freeze. Peel off the container so you just have the ice. Slip the ice into the middle of the coil. If you can fit two gallons, do it.

I next use snow to pack around the ice. When that's a full as I can get it, I grab a gallon of heavily salted water that has also been in the deep freeze till little bits of ice are forming. This is about +20f. Pour this water into the bucket. Put a thermometer in it till it's all below 25f in there. Save about 2 cups of the water.

Get a platform up to within a couple inches of the bottom of the expansion chamber. suspend the chamber in a mixing bowl and add the two cups of icy water to the bowl. When everything is down to 25f or lower, you're ready to test the unit.

[rodekyll]

To test,

loosen the ring on the mason jar
Press the butane bottle into the valve for about a minute.
quickly tighten the ring on the mason jar and then plug the injection port.

Liquid butane will pour into the expansion chamber. Let it drip through, sniffing and listening for leaks at the various joints. Go around and tighten hose clamps and fittings until all leaks seem to have gone away. There might always be a hint of smell, but the important thing is that you can hold pressure.

Once you are satisifed with the integrity of your system, removed the mixing bowl from under the expansion chamber. Mark the butane level on the side of the mason jar.

Rinse the mixing bowl with warm water and fill with a couple cups of 100f water.

Slowly immerse the expansion chamber in the warm water. The butane will begin boiling. Soon you should see a drip from the extraction chamber side tubing. Let the process work for an hour or so, checking that you have enough heat to keep the evaporation/condensation cycle going. The test is complete when you can stop the boiling with icy water, wait 15 minutes, and have close to the same volume of liquid butane reappear in the mason jar.

For live exercises, fill the extraction chamber with up to 100g of the donor substance of your choice, to within about an inch of the top. Tamp it in lightly if you need to. Let the process run as long as you'd like to.

When you're done, you have your extracted goodness and the butane sitting in the bottom of the mason jar. You can remove the jar from its lid and cap it for security uintil you can release the butane.

If you want to reuse the butane, I have some modifications to this simple design that will let you recover most of it for next time.

Enjoy!

[harmonicminor]

I succesfully used an old m&m's tube and poked some holes in it. one on the top for the butane nozzle and a bunch more on the bottom. took maybe 5 minutes to make